


I'll be your downfall

by dcrksun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Flirting, Gotham AU, Hostage Situations, Kissing, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Origin Story, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, hero lee donghyuck, hero x villain, kind of a sad ending?, vigilante na jaemin, villain origin story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcrksun/pseuds/dcrksun
Summary: They say that love and hatred aren't opposites and that love conquers all. In the case of Na Jaemin and Lee Donghyuck, that first one is most certainly true. As for the second? I guess that's for you (and them) to find out.Alternatively titled: Lee Donghyuck, the hero, and Na Jaemin, the vigilante with questionable morals, fall in love in a city that's far too cruel for love
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 73





	I'll be your downfall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunshinedm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedm/gifts).



> hi friends! φʕ•ᴥ•oʔ
> 
> welcome to my first ever commissioned fic! this was for the lovely diana (@stardustmins on twitter) and i had so much fun writing this prompt for her! 
> 
> without further ado, let's get into this angsty vigilante x hero enemies to lovers nahyuck!
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!!

"You're fucking enjoying this, aren't you?" Donghyuck scoffs.

"Well, of course. Aren't you?" Jaemin's voice comes as a response and Donghyuck doesn't need to see him to know he's smirking. How the hell is he supposed to be enjoying this? He's standing on the second floor of some abandoned warehouse, his arms and legs masterfully tied to what looks suspiciously like a stripper pole, and honestly, Donghyuck wouldn't be surprised given that these kinds of places often gave home to illegal raves.

"Oh bite me," Donghyuck grumbles, his hands twisting and turning behind his back in a somewhat useless attempt to loosen his ties.

"Maybe later," Jaemin winks just as he steps into Donghyuck's field of vision. "For now, I'd be careful darling. You'll give yourself a rope burn."

Donghyuck nearly groans out in frustration. There is quite literally no one else in the whole entire world as infuriating and insufferable as Na Jaemin. Donghyuck honestly doesn't know what he hates the most about him. Maybe it's the way he thinks he's so suave with all his flirty one liners and stupid British accent. His perfectly ironed spotlessly clean white suits and black hair with not a strand out of place after even the most tiresome fights is a close contender. 

"Mmh so I see this is all just part of your flawless plan to seduce me," he quips back, tilting his head to the side. "I must admit the bondage was a nice touch."

Jaemin just rolls his eyes at the comment but not before Donghyuck can catch his momentary hesitation, which, of course, counts as a win for him.

"You know my friends are going to come to rescue me, right?" he mutters, finally stopping the constant wriggling of his hands because as much as he hates to admit it, Jaemin is right: he's just giving himself unnecessary rope burns.

"Your what now?" 

"My friends," Donghyuck repeats louder. "What, you've got a problem with your ears nowadays?"

"Oh no, I heard you perfectly well the first time," Jaemin says, his usual smirk plastered across his face. "I just wasn't under the impression that you had these so-called friends."

"Wow," Donghyuck mutters. "You may as well just get going and kill me now because that was brutal."

"Kill you? Oh, darling, don't be so naive," Jaemin laughs. "You're the only hero in Gotham City who makes my life at all interesting. Why would I just kill when I can spend the rest of my life making the rest of yours that much harder?"

Jaemin is fully grinning as he speaks, slowly walking towards Donghyuck in a way that reminds him of a cat stalking its prey. 

In that moment, Donghyuck can't help but feel like maybe the rumours about Na Jaemin are true. Maybe the revenge driven vigilante really has lost it. After all, something really quite traumatic happened that September evening two years ago, and it takes a real change in someone for them to go from being a bartender to one of the most feared people on the city's streets.

Feared. Is Donghyuck really afraid now? He isn't sure. Jaemin has a reputation to be scared of, that's undeniable. He kills without a second thought, without getting a single drop of blood on that perfect white suit, without any guilt or remorse. Still, that doesn't scare Donghyuck. Partially because he's past being afraid of death — when every day is spent doing things that could make it his last, it gets too tiring to worry — but more importantly because as much as Jaemin is ruthless and cold, he isn't heartless. He kills people without hesitation, but he does it for the right reasons. He kills people he deems to be bad, he tries to clean up Gotham City's streets, and whilst Donghyuck could never accept his moral code, he also knows that at the end of the day, they aren't that different. 

Still, there's something menacing about Jaemin, about the way he smiles and calls him darling all while holding him captive in an abandoned warehouse. Something so weird about how he's flirting and almost toying with Donghyuck, the way he makes his moves as if this were a calculated game of chess, the way he speaks as if life is nothing more than something to be played and won.

Donghyuck wants to complain that Jaemin is insufferable and annoying and that he makes absolutely no sense, but honestly, he's too tired to argue right now. He just wants to go home and clean his injuries and get a good night's sleep before he starts what feels like the exact same day over again.

Donghyuck is so unbelievably tired right now and not just of today. He's tired of how hard he works to make this city a better place and how he still wakes up to headlines that make him question whether any of it works. He hates how life feels like walking in cement, or being stuck in one of those stupid movies where someone has to keep reliving the same goddamn day. Right now though, he doesn't hate any of those things as much as he hates Na Jaemin.

"Why am I still here then?" Donghyuck spits out, more anger in his voice than he even realises he's feeling. "Because I'm starting to get really fucking tired of you messing with me. Could you maybe, you know, get another hobby? Find someone else to constantly fuck over?"

The fact that the next thing Jaemin does is laugh makes Donghyuck's blood boil and for the first time that night, he's kind of glad he's tied up because he honestly doesn't know what he would do if he wasn't.

Sometimes, as much as he hates to admit it, he can't help but feel like instead of him making Gotham better, the city is making him worse.

"Well, you really know how to suck the fun out of a situation, don't you?" Jaemin chuckles, pulling out a small knife from his suit pocket. For a second, Donghyuck thinks he's going to cut the rope but instead he just slides the weapon into his still tied hands. "I'll let you have your fun with that one little hero."

"Oh fuck me," Donghyuck scoffs and he honestly wants to scream right now. 

"I'd rather not," Jaemin smirks. "Though in my expert opinion, you do need to get laid. You seem a little stressed."

With that, he waltzes out of the warehouse with such perfect stride and his head held so high that Donghyuck can't help but fantasize about that dagger in his back. 

Tonight is going to be a long night and as usual, it's all thanks to wretched Na Jaemin. 

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Donghyuck is getting increasingly frustrated with this week of his life. He spent his Monday night tied up in Jaemin's stupid lair, his Tuesday night subsequently trying to make up for a night's worth of missed college essays, his Wednesday night sewing up his suit after a stray dog chased him through Gotham's streets and to end it all on a high note, he is currently bleeding out on the ground of an alleyway.

After a week like that, he's honestly struggling to even get up. He's bleeding from more wounds than he can keep track of, his head is throbbing hard enough that he's pretty sure he has his second concussion of the month and his legs feel about as heavy as lead as he tries to pull himself to his feet.

He's on the complete other side of town to where he lives and unless he calls an Uber and somehow hides the fact that he's basically bleeding to death, he has no clue how he's going to get home.

He doesn't have anyone he could call, no one who knows of his so-called extracurricular activities and honestly, not that many friends either. When someone spends most of their nights catching criminals instead of going to parties, and most of their days catching up on their heaps of homework instead of hanging out at cafes, it's kind of hard to make friends.

Donghyuck doesn't usually mind — he's become accustomed to the fact that doing the right thing comes at a cost — but right now, it does leave him in quite the pickle.

His eyes are starting to flutter closed and judging by the pool of red he's sitting in, he's losing a lot of blood. He needs help. He needs a friend.

_ "Oh no, I heard you perfectly well the first time," _ Jaemin's words echo in his mind, taunting him, and Donghyuck can all too clearly remember his infuriating smirk as he spoke.  _ "I just wasn't under the impression that you had these so-called friends." _

Donghyuck hates how tonight he's coming face to face with the sad reality of those words. He also hates that this memory offers him quite literally the only viable solution out of his predicament — a solution he detests more than words can say but one that he has no choice but to take.

After a couple of failed attempts, painful groans and rather colourful swearing, Donghyuck is finally on his feet, a random stick acting as his impromptu crutch to help him walk. 

He isn't far from Jaemin's lair but the five minute journey feels like an eternity when every single inch of his body feels like it's burning. By the time Donghyuck stumbles into the concrete building, his legs are shaking so bad he's surprised he's still on his feet.

"Hello?" he calls out, as loud as he can manage, but his voice comes out meek and breathy.

The warehouse stays completely silent and no matter how hard Donghyuck tries to listen from the response, all he can hear is the beating of his heart and his own panicked breathing.

"I see you need my help," the response comes after what feels like forever and Donghyuck turns his head just in time to see Jaemin step out of the shadows into the spotlight of one of the small neon lamps that decorate the ceiling. 

Jaemin is wearing his signature smirk but other than that, he looks nothing like what Donghyuck is used to seeing. His impeccable white suit is replaced by jeans and a simple white t-shirt, his black hair looking like he'd been running his hands through it. Still, the change of clothes doesn't take away from the elegance with which Jaemin carries himself as he walks towards Donghyuck.

"So do you always just lurk in the shadows, waiting for moments like this?" Donghyuck coughs out, only realising after he's spoken that if he's here attempting to get help from his main nemesis, he probably shouldn't have started with their usual bickering.

"What can I say, I don't get many instances of heroes begging for my help. I want to make the most of it."

"I am most definitely not begging for your help," Donghyuck scoffs but as he attempts to step towards Jaemin, he trips over his own feet and to the ground. God, the humiliation of this situation hurts more than hitting the concrete floor. Injuries heal but his pride will struggle to recover from this. 

"Mmh, to me it looks like you're practically at my feet begging," Jaemin chuckles, crouching down to get a better look at Donghyuck, but not making any attempt to help him up. "Unless, of course, you just plain and simple fell for me."

"You know," Donghyuck gets out, gritting his teeth together as he speaks. "There are approximately 1,013,913 words in this language and I still can't string them together to adequately explain how much I want to deck you right now."

Jaemin's subsequent laughter only increases Donghyuck's urge to punch him in the face and makes him even more annoyed at the fact he can't even find the strength to stand up.

"So tell me, hero, why exactly should I help you?" Jaemin quips. "Because you aren't exactly persuading me, right now."

Donghyuck groans. Does Jaemin really think he is about to beg for his life? Hell, no. "Didn't you just tell me on Monday how boring your life would be without me?" he mutters instead, his words slurring as his eyelids become heavier and heavier, getting closer to losing his consciousness. 

Jaemin reaches towards Donghyuck's face then, grabbing his chin with a surprisingly soft touch. "You owe me, hero," he says and the flood of relief that courses through his veins is the last thing Donghyuck feels before everything fades to black.

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

The last thing Donghyuck remembers of the night of his injury is passing out just after Jaemin finally decided to help him. The next day, he woke up in his own bed, bandaged up and tucked in, a glass of water, some painkillers and a lipstick note of xoxo on his bedside table. 

After that, Donghyuck had to admit that maybe he had judged Jaemin a little too harshly. After all, he had just saved his life. Perhaps Donghyuck even owes him a thank you.

When Donghyuck thought about his next encounter with Jaemin, he didn't exactly imagine it to be a walk in the park — nothing with Jaemin ever is — but he did imagine that this whole saving his life ordeal could only lead to an improvement.

Instead, they're currently standing in an abandoned parking lot accompanied by two other men, one of whom has Jaemin's blade pinned to his neck.

Donghyuck got here too late to know exactly what's happening but based on the snippets of conversation he's caught and some common sense, it looks like Jaemin is threatening to kill one of the men as a way of getting information from the other one. Judging by the reaction of the man who currently has a blade to his neck, he isn't exactly used to situations like this because his whole body is shaking and it looks like he's struggling not to cry. This, combined with the fact that he also keeps mumbling about how he didn't know his brother was involved in these sorts of things, makes Donghyuck conclude he's probably innocent. Surely Jaemin wouldn't hurt him. He may be a murderer but his victims are all people he claims deserving of death — and being related to a criminal by birth hardly counts as a reason to be condemned to death. 

Donghyuck knows that Jaemin is aware of his presence, even if he's shown no reaction to it, keeping his attention fully on the man standing a few feet away from him, anxiously eying the blade at his brother's neck.

"Don't test me," Jaemin says, his voice dripping with venom and yet, still silky smooth. "I'm going to count down from three, and if you don't give me what you want, I'm going to cut Hendery's throat, and make you watch him bleed out on the floor of this parking lot. Have I made myself clear, Yukhei?"

"I don't have the information you need," Yukhei says, keeping his cool pretty well for someone whose brother's life is on the line here. "And even if I did, my brother and I are barely in touch, why would I—"

"Three," Jaemin's booming voice interrupts Yukhei's failed attempt at declaring how little he cares about Hendery. "Two—"

This time it's Donghyuck's turn for an interruption as he steps in front of Jaemin and Yukhei with pleading eyes. It's a risky choice to try talking the vigilante out of his decision rather than fighting him, but Donghyuck is still injured and given that Jaemin knows exactly where his injuries are, he doesn't stand a chance of winning right now. Besides, Donghyuck has to admit that his opinion of Jaemin has changed for the better since he saved his life. Maybe he uses the wrong methods and does bad things, but Donghyuck can't bring himself to label him as an inherently bad person.

"Jaemin, stop," he says, his voice firm but not demanding. He wants to make it clear that he's asking, that he's choosing not to make this a fight. "Please."

Jaemin scoffs. "Why should I give a rat's ass about you not wanting me to kill this boy?" 

Donghyuck takes a deep breath. As much as he wants to snap back at Jaemin, he knows he needs to keep his calm. It's imperative that he says the right things if he wants to save this boy's life.

"I don't care if you care what I think, Jaemin," he says slowly. "But Hendery is innocent. You don't kill innocent people just for the sake of killing them. You aren't a bad person."

Jaemin looks surprised at that last statement and his expression softens slightly but he doesn't make a move to lower the knife. 

Donghyuck sighs, taking another step closer to Jaemin, locking eyes with him as he speaks words he never thought he'd sink to saying. "When I was injured, you wanted me to beg you for your help. Well, I'm begging you now, Jaemin. I'm begging you to let the boy go."

Time stands still then, seconds dragging into hours, before Jaemin finally drops his arm, pushing the boy forward and sending him stumbling towards his brother.

Donghyuck lets out a sigh of relief. Thank fuck for that. He honestly doesn't know what he would've done if Jaemin had killed the boy.

"I knew that asshole wouldn't kill you," Yukhei mutters behind them. "Look at him, he's losing his edge completely, letting that stupid hero control him."

Donghyuck knows what's coming before he even hears the blade fly past him, before he hears the thud of the body.

"Fuck," he lets out the frustrated exclamation. Why couldn't Yukhei just keep his mouth shut and get out of here? How could he be such an idiot to comment about Jaemin letting a hero control him? Of course, he wouldn't just stand there and take that. 

Donghyuck can hear Yukhei crying out in the background but he doesn't turn around to help. If there's one thing that he knows about Jaemin, it's that if he wants someone dead, they're dead — and after Yukhei's comment, there is no doubt about the fact that he wanted Hendery dead.

Donghyuck is frustrated but even more so, he's disappointed, and he hates himself for it. He hates that he allowed himself to have enough faith in Jaemin to think that he wouldn't kill someone who doesn't deserve it. He hates himself for letting a one time mercy cloud his judgement like this.

Right now, Donghyuck can't even deal with his own thoughts, let alone the cold blooded murderer he almost let himself believe isn't a bad person. 

Without a single word, Lee Donghyuck chooses to walk away.

He doesn't get very far before he hears footsteps behind him, ones he very quickly recognises as belonging to Jaemin.

"Why the hell would you do that?" he whips around before Jaemin can say anything in his defence. "Why would you kill an innocent boy, huh? Why would you do that?"

His voice is full of anger but it's also full of hurt and betrayal, no matter how much he tries to swallow it down.

Instead of a usual snarky comment, Jaemin just sighs. "Because you're wrong about me, Lee Donghyuck. I'm a bad person. I can't be like you."

"People can change," Donghyuck sighs, and he hates how vulnerable he sounds, how clear it is that he's beginning to care about the boy he's supposed to hate.

"No, they can't," Jaemin half scoffs. "I am who I am. I like what I do. If you think you extending some stupid olive branch towards me is going to change that, then you judged me wrong."

Donghyuck doesn't know what to say to that. Correction, he knows exactly what to say to that, but he also knows that saying it won't end well. He does it anyway.

"I know you weren't always like this, Jaemin," he says, his voice much softer now, pausing before he speaks his next words. "And I know Jeno wouldn't want you to be doing this. Especially when you claim that it's all in his name, that everything you're doing is to avenge his de—"

Jaemin slams Donghyuck into the brick wall of the house beside them before he can even finish his sentence. His whole face is red now and he's gritting his teeth as he spits out his words. 

"You don't get to talk about him, Donghyuck. You don't get to say his name."

Donghyuck bites his lip to stop himself from crying out in pain. He knows it isn't intentional but Jaemin's fingers are digging into one of his wounds, making it hurt like hell. Still, now doesn't exactly seem like the right time to point that out — not when he just brought up Jaemin's dead boyfriend.

Jeno's death two years prior is what triggered Jaemin's revenge driven vigilante act, eager to clean the city of the thugs who caused him to lose the love of his life. At some point though, his vendetta extended to all of the city's criminals and as time passed, he began to lose sight of his boundaries, his values, everything other than his goal to get revenge on this rotten city. 

Sometimes, Donghyuck honestly questions whether Jaemin really even still counts as a vigilante, or whether he's just straight up a villain. He likes to hold on to the idea that he isn't entirely a bad person — that despite everything he's lost, he hasn't completely lost himself — but in times like this, that becomes increasingly difficult.

"I'm sorry," he says, his words barely above a whisper. "I know it hurts to talk about him, but I want to be here for you, Jaemin."

Jaemin lets go of him then and Donghyuck stumbles forward. For a second, he almost thinks Jaemin's going to say something akin to thank you or even say something about Jeno. Instead, he sends Donghyuck flying back against the wall again, even harder this time as he practically growls the words.

"Get this through your thick head, Lee Donghyuck. You and I aren't friends, and I just want you to leave me the fuck alone."

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

For once in his life, Lee Donghyuck is spending his night like a normal college student — or at least like a very stressed out college student who's two weeks behind on his work — and staying in to study rather than scouring the streets for crime to fight. 

He's sitting on his sofa, blankets wrapped around him and television playing in the background as he works on the finishing paragraph of his second essay for the evening. His brain is not cooperating right now — he seriously thinks crime fighting is less torturous than this.

Before he can get too engrossed in the inhumanities of the existence of homework, his attention is drawn to the television when the words breaking news flash across the screen.

“A break in has taken place at one of Gotham City's most esteemed scientific institutes tonight," the news anchor announces and Donghyuck immediately recognizes the building from the photos on screen as Neo Tech Corporation, the place where he himself had been trying to break into just two weeks ago and where he got so badly injured that he had to seek Jaemin's help.

This coincidence in itself would catch Donghyuck's attention but given that he was trying to break into the institute to steal some very dangerous chemicals that could easily be used for terrible things if they got into the wrong hands, it's safe to say he's more than worried. Gotham has far more bad people than good, and if that same chemical is what's being stolen — and Donghyuck has reason to assume that it is given that it's the only thing he's been hearing about in the communications of low life criminals for weeks — then things aren't exactly looking up.

There's some video footage of the building then but Donghyuck can see little other than flashing lights and blurry figures. It's only when the camera angle switches that one figure begins to stand out, one in a brilliant white suit and movements that Donghyuck would recognise anywhere.

It's Na Jaemin.

Honestly, Donghyuck can't say he's surprised. Whenever he faces a problem in this city, Jaemin always seems to somehow be involved. 

The news anchor's face is back on the screen again after that as she starts to describe the menial details of the attack but it soon switches back to the recordings of the night's events as she continues to speak in the background. "It seems that tonight's story is one with a happy end after all, folks. In an attempt to escape, the perpetrator seems to have fallen to his death. Now the body is yet to be recovered and identified, but we will be back with updates on the case as soon as we have them." 

Donghyuck's breath catches as he watches the footage zooming in on the white suited man tumbling off the roof towards his inevitable death. 

Holy fucking shit. Donghyuck's laptop slides off his lap and onto the floor but he doesn't even react as the realisation that Jaemin is probably dead sinks in. He shouldn't care this much — he knows he shouldn't — but he can't help it. It feels like someone just punched him in the abdomen, knocking the air out of his lungs and leaving him with a dull but deep pain in the pit of his stomach. 

Donghyuck doesn't know what to do. He doesn't have anyone to call that would understand why he's suddenly upset over the death of a seemingly petty criminal or even a masked vigilante. If he's being honest, he himself doesn't really understand either.

When exactly did he come to care so much for the boy who always infuriated him? At what point did Jaemin become something other than just his nemeses and another one of his problems? Was it when their silent fights began to be filled with sarcastic comments and snarky quips, or when they stopped sparring with the intention of hurting one another? Was it that night in the warehouse when Jaemin told him he didn't want him dead and Donghyuck believed him, or was it the night that he saved his life without as much as demanding a thank you?

Whenever it was and however it was, all Donghyuck knows is that this death is something he's going to be grieving for a long time. Maybe he can't quite say that he lost a friend, but he lost a companion, someone he cared for and someone who, no matter Jaemin tried his best to have him believe otherwise, didn't deserve to die.

Gotham city didn't just lose a vigilante that night, or a stupid criminal. They lost a warrior, someone who — with methods Donghyuck could ever quite comprehend — tried to do the right thing, no matter the cost. 

Gotham city lost a good person.

Donghyuck is shaken from his thought by a knock at his door. He half contemplates not even opening the door because it's probably his landlord asking about why he hasn't paid rent yet and honestly, he really isn't up for dealing with that conversation right now. He wipes his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie as he walks over to the door, pulling it open.

Holy shit. 

Jaemin's definitely not dead. In fact, he doesn't even look injured as he leans against Donghyuck's door frame, a self satisfied grin spread across his features. 

"You're alive," Donghyuck gasps, his words barely above a whisper as he takes in the sight in front of him.

"And you look like a mess," Jaemin chuckles, stepping into Donghyuck's apartment and towards him. "You weren't worried about me, were you, little hero?"

"Why are you here?" Donghyuck asks, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It's not that he isn't happy that Jaemin came here — honestly, he's more relieved than he can even put into words — but he's also confused. 

Did his near death experience somehow prompt him to also realise how much he cared for Donghyuck? Did he even have a near death experience or was the fall just a part of his escape plan? 

"Well, I wasn't at the institute for no reason," Jaemin smirks, pulling a small purple vial out of his front jacket and waving it around. "I was there to get you the chemical you wanted. Did you seriously think the break in was a coincidence?"

Donghyuck's eyes widen when he sees the vial. It's the vial he very nearly died for, a vial that could get Jaemin anything he wanted, and yet here he is, handing it to Donghyuck. 

It almost seems like an apology for their last encounter, and as much as Donghyuck wants to hold onto the fact that he's angry and disappointed, he's also so relieved right now, and he can't help but smile.

"How did you even know?" Donghyuck asks with a light chuckle and he can't hide the little bit of admiration that sneaks into his tone.

"It's my job to know things," Jaemin responds with his trademark smirk — a smirk that Donghyuck has grown fond of with the passing of time but one that fills him with inexplicable anger right now.

Jaemin's stupid smirks and reckless attitude and complete disregard for his own wellbeing just make him so mad. Doesn't he understand that he was risking his own life tonight? Doesn't he understand that it was making Donghyuck fall to pieces just seeing the news tonight?

"You could've been killed." He pushes Jaemin against the door then but his movement holds little force as the tears he's been holding in start rolling down his cheeks.

"Guess I'm better than you." Jaemin recovers quickly from the surprise of the shove, an impish glint in his eyes as he speaks.

"The only thing you are is a fool."

"Only a fool for you, darling," Jaemin teases and Donghyuck's anger seems to fade with the butterflies the words give him. 

"Don't do stuff like that for me okay?" he asks, his voice much quieter, practically begging. "I couldn't lose you and have it be my fault."

Donghyuck has never seen Jaemin lost for words but right now, he seems speechless. His expression makes it clear that he's taken aback by Donghyuck's words and what they insinuate — by the fact that he basically just admitted how much he cares for Jaemin. 

"I know," Donghyuck half laughs. "I'm surprised too"

"Mmh, well, I guess I'm just not used to people caring about me anymore," Jaemin laughs too but it's a bitter sound, one filled with grief and loneliness. 

Donghyuck smiles sadly at that, raising a hand to Jaemin's face, soft fingers tracing along his features, his thumb brushing past his lips.

"Well then you better get used to it," he says softly, before doing something that surprises even him: he leans forward and he kisses Jaemin.

The kiss is nothing like Donghyuck expects. It's soft and sweet, but most importantly, it's full of feeling, and hope, and opportunity. It's the kind of kiss where it feels like their lips are melting into one and he can't help but want the same thing to happen to the rest of their bodies. 

Donghyuck pulls Jaemin close until their bodies are pressed up against each other entirely, feeling his warmth against his skin and never wanting to let go. 

He doesn't want to let go of this feeling, or of this moment, but above all, Lee Donghyuck doesn't ever want to let go of Na Jaemin.

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

As it soon turns out, it's much easier to be a hero when Donghyuck doesn't have to do everything by himself — and after that night, he's rarely alone.

He doesn't quite know what’s between him and Jaemin. He just knows that he cares about him, and that Jaemin feels the same. He knows that they both really need someone right now — someone to hold them close and not let them go. Perhaps they're an unlikely match but in Donghyuck's eyes, right now, they're also a perfect one.

They take things slow and they take things fast at the same time. They spend most of their time together, Jaemin ditching his creepy lair for Donghyuck's apartment, the two of them sharing meals and kisses and so much more. There are topics they don't talk about though, things they don't do together and invisible albeit clear set boundaries between them.

Honestly, Donghyuck doesn't want to give too much thought to figuring things out. He knows he's happy —  _ really  _ happy for the first time in a long time — and so is Jaemin, so what else do they need?

Their crime fighting lifestyle is one thing they don't yet share. Donghyuck thinks they're both afraid it'll create irreconcilable differences between them and truth be told, he likes working alone. Sometimes it's tough to only have himself to rely on in a difficult situation, but at least he only has himself to hold accountable, and himself to look out for.

As Donghyuck scours the city from the roof of his favourite building in Gotham City, he can't help but subconsciously be keeping an eye out for Jaemin too. It's around seven in the evening, the sun just setting behind the silhouette of the city's skyscrapers, which means that Jaemin is probably doing the exact same thing as him: waiting for the city's nightlife of crime to surface. 

Since it’s Gotham, Donghyuck doesn't have to look for long to notice something alarming. It's coming from an alleyway near his lookout and he's immediately climbing down, following the voices of what sounds like two men and a woman. 

Donghyuck stays in the shadows for a moment, surveying the scene in front of him from above the scaffolding that lines one of the overlooking buildings. Looking back, he should've observed more and then maybe he would've noticed the bags of white powder in the truck beside them, or the handle of a pistol poking out from the woman's bag — but as soon as one of the men pushes the woman against a car, Donghyuck just knows he has to step in. 

He jumps off the scaffolding and straight onto the back of the man who struck the blow, making him stumble backwards. The element of surprise only gives him a momentary advantage and soon the other man is pulling Donghyuck off, leaving him to take on two of them at the same time. 

He's too preoccupied to see the woman he deemed harmless pull the pistol out of her gun and aim it towards him. He doesn't realise that anything is out of the ordinary until he hears the sound of a shot. 

Donghyuck hits the ground with a thud so loud it rings in his ears, and there's a sickening crack accompanied by a flash of pain that nearly blinds him.

"Holy shit Seulgi, you just shot him," one of the voices above him exclaims and Donghyuck instinctively reaches for his stomach as he sits up. They shot  _ him _ ?

His hands come back clean but his eyes land on something far worse than his own blood. Jaemin is lying face up on the pavement in front of him, a red stain on his immaculate white suit.

"Jaemin," he chokes out, barely feeling the pain coursing through his own body as he moves to his side. He doesn't care that their attackers are fleeing the scene, that they're probably going to get away with this because Donghyuck barely even remembers what car they drive. All that matters is Jaemin and the fact that he's been shot and he's bleeding and he needs his help. 

"Hyuck," Jaemin croaks out, trying to lift his head. "I heard the fight and I saw the gun, I—"

"Shhh," Donghyuck presses a gentle finger to his lips. "You saved my life, Jaemin. Now you have to save your energy and let me save yours."

He presses a hand to the wound on Jaemin's stomach, the other reaching for his phone. The screen is cracked from his fall and his hands are shaking so much that it takes him three tries to dial 911 but the phone is finally ringing and maybe everything will be okay.

"They're coming soon," he tells Jaemin in a soft voice as he gently manoeuvres the boy's head into his lap, one hand pressing to his wound and the other playing with his hair. 

"The sky's beautiful tonight," Jaemin says after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're beautiful tonight, Lee Donghyuck. And you made my last few months beautiful just by—"

"Don't," Donghyuck interrupts and his voice comes out as a sob. "Don't you dare say goodbye to me, Jaemin. You're going to make it. You  _ have to  _ make it."

"And yet we both know the chances of that are pretty slim, huh," Jaemin says and Donghyuck can tell he's scared, even if he's trying to smile and make it seem like this isn't a big deal, like he's ready to die.

"I thought I could save you," Donghyuck chokes out and he can no longer hold in the sobs that shake his body. "I need to save you." 

"You can't save everyone, Donghyuck," Jaemin says softly, the blood starting to stain the pink of lips. "And yet, you still saved me. Maybe not literally but… you saved my life in more ways than I can describe." 

Donghyuck doesn't know what to say. All he knows is that it's far too fucking quiet without the sound of sirens approaching them. All he knows is that he's watching Jaemin slip away with every passing second and there's nothing he can do.

Then suddenly, there's one more thing he knows.

"I love you, Na Jaemin," he says softly, tears streaming down his face as he leans down to press his lips against his. "I love you so fucking much."

"And I love you," is the last thing Jaemin says before his hands go slack in Donghyuck's own, before he lets out his last breath and leaves this world behind.

Donghyuck can't believe he's gone. Everything happened so fast and now he's just gone. His entire body shakes with sobs as he clings onto Jaemin like he's the only thing that matters. Maybe he is the only thing that matters.

Donghyuck spent so long judging Jaemin for the person he became after he lost Jeno — but now that he's here, he can't help but understand. He understands the anger and the desperation and the hatred Jaemin must've felt against the whole world.

The same world that now took Jaemin from him. A world that he isn't so sure deserves saving anymore.

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

The next time Donghyuck walks through his front door, forty eight hours and what seems like a lifetime has passed. He never thought that such little time could change someone so much and yet as he leans against his front door, he feels like an entirely different person to the one he was just two days ago when he was kissing Jaemin against this very door. 

Tears sting at the corner of his eyes at just the thought and he lets himself slide to the floor, giving in to all the pain that's fighting to tear him apart from the inside no matter how hard he tries to stay strong.

Donghyuck just sits there and cries for what feels like an eternity, until there are no more tears left for him to cry and the rhythm of his own heart is the only thing competing with the silence in his ears.

His eyes follow the smear of blood from his own hands to the white vinyl of his flooring, dizziness and nausea clouding his already aching mind as the knowledge sinks in that it isn't just Jaemin's blood.

It's sleep deprivation and the pain coursing through his body and the weight of everything he has done finally catching up to him, and Donghyuck doesn't think he's ever felt quite so sick.

He does his best to push it down, to ignore the guilt and pain bubbling inside him. He replays the memory of Jaemin dying over and over, using the anger to block out everything else. 

Jaemin died at the hands of someone Donghyuck thought deserved saving — but now he can't help but think that Gotham is rotten to the core and that no one here is worth a second chance. 

Maybe it doesn't matter if Lee Donghyuck becomes a villain, as long as he gets his revenge. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed!!!
> 
> as always, the biggest thank you to my beta lil and all my other friends who have listened to me blab about this fic far too much!
> 
> if you enjoyed, i would really appreciate any kudos and comments and you are always free to scream at me either on  
> [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dcrksun)  
> or  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/dcrksun)!!
> 
> if you are interested in commissioning me, my twitter is the place to be!
> 
> sending you all lots of love ʕ♡˙ᴥ˙♡ʔ


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